Pavement



Nov. 3, 1925. 1,560,354

H. H. SMITH PAVEMENT Filed May 14. 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 INVENTOR BY 5 Y W ATTORNEYS Nov., 3 1925 r 1,560,354

" H. H. SMITH PAVEMENT Filed May 14. 1924 2 Sheets-Shut 2 INVENTOR 2 WM H 5 W ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES HERMAN E. SMITH, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PAVEMENT.

Application filed May 14, 1924. Serial No. 713,194.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, HERMAN H. SMITI I, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pavements, of which the following is a'specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in pavements- Moreparticularly the invention has for its ob ect to provide a pavement which will preserve the advantageous characteristics of any-particular kind of paving material but which will have a wearing surface that willremain smooth and not subject toa material amount of wear.

It is proposed to provide a series of metal blocks embedded in and supported by the paving material, whereby the resulting pavement will have a long period of maximum serviceability, eliminating disintegration, cracking, rolling, pushing into ridges, ruts or other roughness or unevenness of the surface common to the usual pavements. The desired result is attained by embodyinlg1 the metal block in the pavement, whic block forms the reater part of the wearing surface for t e usual traflic, with sufficient openings therein to expose the paving material so as to give the desired traction for different kinds of traffic. The metal block may bensed as -a pavement surface covering a considerable part of a street or a roadway, or as a track or tramway of any width laid in connection with any kind of pavement, or as a marker used for the purpose of separating traflic into lanes, or as a tread for Stairways, or as an edging for pavements, or as an edging for slabs of pavement when ex ansion joints are to be formed between ad oining slabs, or as a marker for the direction 'of trafiic at the intersection of streets, or for any other'similar or like useor purpose.

The metal block may be combined with an known form of pavement, as asphalt,

ru ber, concrete, etc. i

The metal block is so formed that it may be embedded, rolled, rammed or tamped into the surface of any pavement while the same is still soft, or it ma be laid in' a space left in the surface 0 the pavement by the use of a, form and then grouted or sealed into such place with any desired.

material, or the metallic block may be emit is obvious that may be cast.

The particular blankl shown in the drawings is formed from a strip of rolled metal cluding the apertures 3.-

, bodied in suitable paving blocks. In forming a paving block the metal blank may be inverted and the desired paving material cast or pressed into and through the same and to facilitate suchv casting or pressing the bottom of the block is left unobstructed.

It is further an object of the invention to so shape the metal block that it, may be anc'horedan'd. supported by the paving material, preferably without any metallic connection between the blocks.

A further object is to provide a metal block which may be rolled or pressed into shape if desired without the necessity of casting the same.

Reference may be had to the following specification for a description of av specific 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a metal block.

Fig. 4 is -a perspective of a complete molded paving block.

Fig. 5 is a cross section of the structure shown in Fig. 4 taken on the line of one row of perforations.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a portion of the completed avement. v c

It is,des1red that the metal-surface take perspective of the folded most of the main wear of the trafiic and for this purpose the top of the metal blank 1 is broken only to the extent required to give proper traction. As the cost ofthe metal inserts will be 'a' material factor in determining the extent of use thereof, it is preferable to-form the metal into a blank when may be rolled and pressed into the desired shape and formed in the ri%t length without having to cast the same. owev'el ifdesired the blank shown with circular out out portions 2 and 3,

stam ed therefrom when the material is in the cm of a complete strip. The strip may then be cut into the desired lengths, preferably that of a customary pavmg block the sections being cut on lines in- The side members are bent downwardly from the body portion 1 of the blank so as to form supports and anchors for the block. It is considered preferable to bend these sides on lines, including certain of the recesses in the body of the blank, the lines between the body 1 and the sides 5 being a. little on one side of'the diameter of the recesses included on i the bent edge for a purpose to be hereinafter referred to. The lower or free edges of the sides may be provided with suitably shaped lugs T to facilitate the blanks being sunk into the paving material, and to further prevent the blocks from creeping.

In the specification and claims the metallic member when completed and ready for use will be termed a metallic block or metallic insert. When the term pavement appears it is to be understood that I refer to whole roadways, sections or strips thereof, floors, sidewalks, steps, etc.

The metal used in the blank may be of any desired kind, as iron, steel, brass and the like, it being preferred that some metal be used which lends itself readily to rolling,

stamping. cutting, etc., so that the completed block may be made at a minimum cost. W?

The bottom of the metal block formed as described above is open. For this reason it can be used in a number of different ways. The blocks can be embedded in any pave ment which is being laid while the pavement is'still soft by being forced into the paving material, or the blocks may be laid in an existing pavement, for example, of'the asphalt type, it being only necessary to cut out a channel for the blocks after which they may belaid in place either before or after the cut out channels have been filled with hot asphalt mixture and the spaces therearound and between filled with such mixture.

. The metal blocks are so designed that they can be filled with a pavement mixture in advance. This can best be accomplished by placing them in a suitable mold of the exact size of the block, the block being inverted, the asphaltic mixture or other paving material then being pressed into the bottom of the block, filling it to a point substantially flush with the outer or free edges of the sides. The completed block is preferably made of approximately the size of a customary paving block so that they may be alternated therewith if it is desired. Any suit" able filler may be used for such a block, asasphalt, bituminous concrete. rubber or Portland cement concrete. Whether the. blanks are to be laid in newly constructed 1 or .old pavement or whether laid in the form of blocks it is considered preferable to space them slightly so that the spacebetween the blocks may be filled witha paving materiali It is preferredto have broken joints:

'Wardl y exten between adjoining blocks, as indicated in Fig. 6, so as to prevent the formation of rats.

The paving material proper locks the blocks with relation to one another and firmly anchors them in place by filling the portions 6 of the recesses upon the sides of the blocks. The paving material will be pressed into and through all of the recesses in the metal blocks and the exposed surface of the pavement will present uniform bands or strips of metal. separated by the uniform rows of symmetrical perforations and broken only by the slight spaces between the blocks. i

The metallic blocks have numerous uses,

as material for floors, sidewalks, stairways and pavements, and may be laid either as a track in the pavement or as a marker for traffic and may be used in connection with any known form or forms of pavements, as granite blocks, asphalt blocks, sheet asphalt, bituminous concrete, macadam in any form, or rubber, and filled with any pavement which can be made to fill the recesses. in the block to anchor the same and to be exposed to the wearing surface.

The particular lug placed on the bottom of the side members of the metal block is varied for different uses. lVhen the metal unit is to be sunk into a paving material it is considered preferable to have the lugs wmlge-shaped, as at 7 in Fig. 2. but where the composite block shown in Fig. 5 is to be used the lugs may be right angled, as shown at 7, with more satisfactory results. The lugs 7' are shown as extending the full length of the block but obviously they may be made in sections extending only part of distance along the edges of the slde members of the block.

The shape of the perforations in the block is not. considered material as obviously they may be rectangular, hexagonal, or octagonal, or any other desired shape.

Ifdesired the exposed metallic surface."

may be provided with some form of corrugations in order to give a better traction for the traffic passing over it.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention I deslre it to be understood that this is merely illustrative and that I am limited only as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: J

1. 'A pavement provided with a substantially continuous metallic wearing surface, the metallie'surface being formed in blocks with apertures wholly within the body and apertures extending into the edges thereof, exposing the aving material proper."

2. A metal ic unit for the purposes specified comprisin a body part and a downding anchoring projection,

ing material, said insert having a wearing surface and an anchoring projection, said projection having an aperture therein and saidsurface being recessed above said aperture to permit said aperture to be filled with pavement material.

4. A metal blank of the type disclosed comprising a substantially fiat body part with one pair of opposite sides extending substantially at right angles thereto, and with recesses at intervals around the periphery of the bodypart, the recesses adjacent to the extended sides being continued along the said sides.

5. A metallic paving insert formed from a strip of flat metal with perforations therein, two opposite sides of the metal being bent out of the plane of the body of the strip on lines including certain of the perforations.

6. A pavement comprising a paving material, metallic inserts embeddedtherein and exposed to the wearing surface thereof, the said inserts having uniform perforations in the body thereof and peripheral perforations similar to one-half of said first-mentioned perforations .whereby a series of such inserts presents a metallic path broken by uniform series of perforations.

7. A pavement comprising a pavingimaterial, spaced metallic inserts therein, held spaced and anchored therein by the paving material and exposed. to the wearing surface thereof, the said inserts having per forations in the bodythereof and peripheral perforations'similar to one half of said first-mentioned,perforations whereby a series of such inserts presents a metallic path broken by a series of perforations.

8. A metallic paving insert formed with a body part constitutin a wearing surface and with a-downwardfv extending securing plate, the lower edge of said plate extending' substantially parallel with said body part, and a reduced extension projecting beneath the lower edge of said plate for the purpose set forth.

9. A metallic paving insert formed with a body part forming a wearing surface and with a downwardly extending anchoring side, the lower extremity of said anchoring side having a a downwardly extending stepped reduced extension constituting a locking lug.

10. A metallic paving insert formed with a body and side members terminatin on lines substantially parallel with said ody members, the lower edges thereof bein provided with locking elements extending downwardly beneath said side members.

In testimony whereof, I have signedmy name to this specification.

HERMAN H. SMITH. 

